Equipment for fighting fire with liquid from hydraulic accumulators in a suspension structure

ABSTRACT

Equipment for fighting a fire has a suspension structure and hydraulic accumulators in the suspension structure for movement to within an action range of the fire. The hydraulic accumulators have outlet nozzles at one end for utilizing a high drive pressure in the hydraulic accumulators to produce, by suction effect, a fog-like penetrating liquid spray. In this regard, the suspension structure is a jacket structure for holding together the hydraulic accumulators in such a way that, between the hydraulic accumulators, there are longitudinal air channels.

The present invention relates to a method and equipment for fightingfires, in particular outdoor fires difficult to extinguish, such asforest fires and oil fires.

Forest fires, oil fires, and many other types of fires are often eithertoo inaccessible or too hot for early fighting of the fire.

The object of the invention is to provide a new method and new equipmentto more efficiently than hereto fight such difficultly extinguishablefires.

The method of the invention is mainly characterized in that, by means ofa preferably mobile construction, a set of hydraulic accumulatorsprovided with outlet nozzles capable of, utilizing a high drivepressure, producing, by suction effect, a fog-like penetrating liquidspray, is brought to action range from a fire and thereafter thehydraulic accumulators are emptied into the fire.

According to a preferable mode of the method, the set of hydraulicaccumulators is lowered from a helicopter to action range, the airstream generated by the main rotor of the helicopter preferably beingutilized for intensifying the penetration power and the effect of theextinguishing liquid.

The equipment according to the invention is mainly characterized in thatit comprises a set of hydraulic accumulators movable by means of asuspension structure to action range from a fire and provided withoutlet nozzles capable of, utilizing a high drive pressure, producing,by suction effect, a fog-like penetrating liquid spray.

The set of hydraulic accumulators is preferably held together by anenveloping jacket structure preferably provided with jacket openingsand/or a collecting air intake at the closed end of the hydraulicaccumulators opposite to the nozzle heads.

By means of the invention e.g. distant forest fires can be quickly andefficiently fought, which has not been possible hereto.

The invention shall in the following be described in more detail withreference to a preferred exemplifying embodiment of the equipmentaccording to the invention, shown in the attached drawing.

FIG. 1 shows the equipment according to the invention, directeddownwards.

FIG. 2 shows the equipment directed to the side.

FIG. 3 shows a partial longitudinal section of the equipment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the equipment of FIG. 1 seen from above.

The equipment shown in the drawing comprises a set or a battery ofhydraulic accumulators 1, in the example according to the drawing sevenaccumulators, which are held together by an enveloping jacket structure2 which in the drawing is made of two parts joined together by means ofa flange joint 3. The accumulators 1 can have an initial charge pressureof up to about 280 bar, although lower pressures also are possible, andcan for the rest either be of conventional structure with a so-calledgas bladder or membrane, or possibly be made in principle as has beenpresented in finnish patent application 931405, so that they at firstdeliver liquid only and in a later stage, when the drive pressure of theaccumulators has fallen, a mixture of liquid and drive gas.

The equipment is intended to by means of stays 4 and a lift loop 5 beable to be lifted and lowered as needed from, e.g., a helicopter or acrane.

The upper part of the jacket structure 2 in FIG. 1 has a funnel-likepart 6 widening upwards, preferably more or less conically, and thelower part of the jacket structure preferably has a number of jacketopenings 7 near the outlet nozzle heads of the hydraulic accumulators 1,and a funnel-like part 8.

The outlet nozzle heads of the hydraulic accumulators 1, which also canbe called spray heads, are visible in FIG. 3 and are designated 9. Thespray heads 9 are preferably made as presented in the internationalpatent application PCT/FI92/0155 (Publication No. W092/20453), with anumber of obliquely downwards and outwards directed nozzles adaptedmutually with respect to, among other things, droplet size andaccumulator drive pressure, that they, producing a suction, deliverfog-like, proportionally concentrated liquid sprays, which effectivelyare capable of penetrating fire seats.

The hydraulic accumulators 1 are carried by a support plate 10 visiblein FIG. 3 and preferably fixed in the lower part of the jacket structure2 and comprising a number of openings 11 visible in FIG. 4. Mutuallybetween the hydraulic accumulators 1, as well as between the hydraulicaccumulators 1 and the jacket structure 2, run air passages which aredesignated 12 and are visible likewise in FIG. 4. Reference numeral 13in FIG. 3 indicates a band element which under the influence of theflange joint 3 presses the hydraulic accumulators in abutment againsteach other.

The equipment according to the invention can, preferably from ahelicopter, be lowered to a suitable height above a fire seat and can bereleased by means of remote controlled means, known per se and not shownin the drawing. The nozzle heads 9 of the hydraulic accumulators producea forceful suction, whereby necessary additional air is sucked in partlythrough the jacket openings 7 and partly via the channels 12 runningalong the set of accumulators and out past the nozzle heads 9 throughthe openings 11 of the plate 10. In particular through the jacketopenings 7 will also smoke gases be sucked in, which is of advantage inthat also these gases have an extinguishing effect.

As a fire can be attacked from above, which is the case, e.g., forforest fires, and the equipment thus is in vertical position accordingto FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the air stream produced by the main rotor of thehelicopter, which air stream is partly collected by the funnel-like part6, boosts the penetration and the general effect of the extinguishingliquid.

If it for some reason is not suitable to attack a fire from above, theequipment can be turned obliquely to one side or possibly, sidewaysaltogether. Such fires can be oil fires, e.g., on oil drilling rigs, orpossibly fires in high buildings. At least in certain such cases a craneor the like can be used instead of a helicopter.

Especially in such cases, when the equipment is turned sideways but itstill is of advantage to carry out the maneuvers of the equipment from ahelicopter, the air stream produced by the rotor of the helicopter canbe utilized by means of a bent-up funnel-like part 14 at the closed endof the long bottle-like hydraulic accumulators (1 in FIG. 1, not shownin FIG. 2) as is shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 there areno jacket openings 7') on the upper side of the jacket structure. Otherreference characters in FIG. 2 with primes correspond to the componentswith otherwise corresponding reference characters already described withrespect to the other figures. Further or repetitive description is,therefore, unnecessary.

I claim:
 1. Equipment for fighting a fire, said equipment comprising:asuspension structure (4,5); and hydraulic accumulators (1) in saidsuspension for movement to within an action range of the fire andincluding outlet nozzles (9) at one end for utilizing a high drivepressure in said hydraulic accumulators to produce, by suction effect, afog-like penetrating liquid spray; said suspension structure comprisinga jacket structure (2) for holding together said hydraulic accumulatorsin such a way that, between said hydraulic accumulators, there arelongitudinal air channels (12).
 2. The equipment according to claim 1,wherein said jacket structure holds said hydraulic accumulators in aplate (10) fixed in said jacket structure (2) and including openings(11) for holding said hydraulic accumulators.
 3. The equipment accordingto claim 1, wherein said jacket structure (2) comprises air collectingmeans (6,14) at an opposite end of said hydraulic accumulators (1). 4.The equipment according to claim 3, wherein said air collecting means isgenerally conical.
 5. The equipment according to claim 1, wherein saidjacket structure has jacket openings (7).
 6. The equipment according toclaim 5, wherein said jacket openings are near said outlet nozzles. 7.The equipment according to claim 1, wherein said jacket structure (2) ismade up of two parts joined about said hydraulic accumulators by aflange joint (3) and inside a band clamp (13).
 8. The equipmentaccording to claim 1, wherein said jacket structure holds said hydraulicaccumulators in such a way that there are further longitudinal airchannels between said jacket structure and said hydraulic accumulators.